STERN LIGHTENS UP ON POSSIBLE LEAFS/RAPTORS PARTNERSHIP

November 20, 1997

NBA Commissioner David Stern said yesterday that the
NBA "would do a lot to make it happen" if the Maple Leafs
decide to move into the Air Canada Centre with the Raptors,
according to Bill Harris of the TORONTO SUN. Stern: "In
principle, if it's better for the city to have two
franchises in one building, we're all for it." Harris:
"This is a far cry from the combative Stern who attacked the
Leafs a little more than a year ago." Now Stern said any
possible deal is "not an issue for us. We made a commitment
to have a building in Toronto" (TORONTO SUN, 11/20).